The Boy Who Changed a Life 2
by kittyface27
Summary: A year after Katakuri and Luffy left Totto Land the Big Mom pirates, they now live on a small island, living a more normal and happy life. When a threat comes against Luffy, how much has Katakuri changed to deal with it? Sequel story. Probably won't make much sense if you haven't read the first one Rated T for very mild violence and six year old Zoro swearing.
1. Chapter 1

**Another story! This one is a sequel to The Boy Who Changed a Life, the one where Katakuri adopts Luffy. I just had the idea to make a sequel even though it's been months since I wrote the first one. People really enjoyed that one, and this one has more fluff and involves some of the Straw hats, who are also children! I wasn't able to tag the Vinsmoke family like on AO3, but they are in this story. Screw them. This story is only half the length of the first, but still multiple chapters.**

**And I changed Zoro's age a bit so he could be with the others in their class. Sanji is still at his respective age compared to the others. Two years older. It's just how it ended up.**

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**There is no school in the OP cannon world, but I made one for the children in the story. They are kindergarten age, and I might not be very accurate with how that goes, but just don't think about that too hard ;) Enjoy~**

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Katakuri and his son walked through the market, Luffy carrying a box of tangerines from Nami's mommy's orchards, while stacked on top of that was a bag of cherries. It was all he could carry, as he was still small as a six year old. Katakuri carried a large bag with raw meat in them to cook at home for dinner, as they wouldn't be hunting that night, which they did to eat for free and train Luffy's senses.

The citizens made way for the former Big Mom pirate. It had been a year and he hadn't had contact with any of his former siblings. Life was quiet in the sleepy town, and it was nice. Katakuri could do what he wanted, and hadn't killed anyone since his pirate days. He mostly spent time raising Luffy, and making sure to help him become the Pirate King.

With the booths of things under an awning, Luffy was the one to buy them as Katakuri couldn't bend over and reach his arm under the covering. "Hello, Luffy-_kun_, Katakuri-_san. _Do you want some almonds today?" the farmer asked. Luffy nodded his head, and got the massive amount of almonds for both of them to eat, though of course Katakuri was the one to carry them.

Luffy paid for the food with the money Katakuri handed him. Luffy felt like a big boy when he paid for things. The father and son still had quite a bit of money he'd gotten from when the man left his old home, but he was also selling the meat of the monster animals in the forest, which only he could hunt and made quite a lot of money selling an animal that could feed a family for a week.

As the two walked back through the path through the sparser woods they'd made, Luffy chattered about looking forward to eating Nami's tangerines. He was friends with her as they had went to the same kindergarten, along with their friends Zoro and Usopp.

Katakuri had been very proud when Luffy recited the whole alphabet for the first time, and had had a small "party", which was just Brulle and Katakuri making lots of desserts with Luffy's close friends coming over, also celebrating their own success.

After a whole year of the ex-pirate and his son being there, many weren't totally terrified of the man anymore. He wasn't much of a talker, unlike his cheery, social butterfly son, but he wasn't rude or threatening to anyone, and even was friendly with Whitebeard when he came to check on the island (Katakuri). Luffy had played with Fire Fist Ace, and they both showed off their powers. Luffy really was a likable kid.

That night, Katakuri and Brulle made pie out of the tangerines, which was Luffy's favorite dessert. It was a break day for training, as it was a Sunday and school was the next day. They trained a lot on Friday' and Saturdays.

No one had seen Luffy's training but the family, so they didn't know how powerful the boy had become in the last year. He could completely control his speed, and was able to electrocute objects in his hands.

On accident, he'd brought a squirrel back to life after he found it after falling out of a tree and accidentally shocked it. Luffy was amazed by that, but had to be told not to do that to other people since it would hurt them.

Sometimes bright lights would show up from somewhere in the mountains, but none of the townsfolk peeped, since it was on the ex-pirate's property, and he wouldn't like that. Plus, it would just be rude to anyone, regardless of their size and power abilities.

Though he hadn't fought with his powers in a while, it wasn't as if Katakuri had grown soft. He still used his powers to hunt, and still practiced in the training area, which Luffy cheered for him as he did so. It was times like this that Katakuri was just so glad he'd bought the boy. He was glad all the time, it just sometimes was still surprising he'd be lucky enough to find him.

The next day, Luffy walked to school with Brulle, who no longer scared the children as she was nice to them and had shown them her mirror devil fruit, which they were all fascinated by. No one knew about Luffy's devil fruit but his closest friends, who found out on accident when he had gotten too excited a couple months ago and blew out the lights in the classroom, where only his friends had seen him flicker into white light.

Today they were going to practice more on writing their alphabet. The class was on "E". Luffy was not the best at writing straight since his body was always excited and sometimes interfered with doing things slowly and calmly. But he did his best, and Miss Conis appreciated that. Effort played a big role in the classroom.

Luffy and his friends played go fish together at play time before going home while they waited for their parents. His friends mostly played this with Luffy since he wasn't good at any other card games. He constantly changed the rules without even realizing it. But it was _Luffy_, so it wasn't like they could fix it easily.

When Katakuri was on his way to get his son from school, someone was glaring at him. A large man with a mane of blonde hair, looking like a jerk. Katakuri ignored him. He didn't want to spend any time dealing with someone like that guy. The father didn't want to be late.

"So it's true, you've moved to another island away from your pirate family," the man said in a rude and harsh voice, like he was disappointed. Katakuri didn't take the bait; he wasn't an impulsive man. Never had been, and wouldn't be now. He towered over this man, and he didn't exactly scare the ex-pirate.

Katakuri could probably immobilize him just with his haki, but he didn't want to scare the other citizens. He could tell the man didn't have any strong powers. He wasn't worth wasting time with.

When Katakuri reached the school, Luffy was waiting in the doorway, his green dinosaur backpack on, wearing a grin. "Koori!" he shouted and ran to the man, who picked him up and sat him on his big scarf. The good thing about Luffy being a logia is that, if he fell, he'd be fine. He'd never fallen before, but thankfully he'd be fine if he accidentally did. Though Katakuri would be able to catch him by seeing the future momentarily.

"How was your day?" Katakuri asked as they walked through town.

"I played go fish again with my friends, and we practiced writing "E"s today. I'm not good at writing straight lines still, but Miss Conis is really nice and helps me. And we had apples with peanut butter for snack time," Luffy said enthusiastically. "How was your day?" he asked.

"Mostly training. I came up with an idea that would be fun for you. It's a surprise when we get home," Katakuri replied.

"Ooh, what is it, what is it?" Luffy wondered loudly. Katakuri said that it was a surprise, so he had to wait a little longer. Luffy beamed on the way home. That man from before was in the same spot, glaring at Katakuri and his child.

"Luffy, I'm going to release haki," Katakuri warned. Luffy nodded, and was ready for it. The man made sure nobody was around, and turned his eyes to the rude man, letting his haki came out, and the man's eyes widened and started to shake. Luffy was perfectly fine. He wasn't afraid of his daddy, so he wasn't scared.

Then, the ex-pirate continued on his way home, nonchalant about the sweating man he left behind. "Is that guy a meanie?" Luffy asked once they were walking along their trail.

"I don't know, but he seems quite rude. Better to keep him away before he annoys us too much," Katakuri explained. Luffy nodded, and the two walked around the back of the big stone and wooden house to the back yard, to see a large blob of mochi.

Katakuri walked right to it, and dropped Luffy onto it from not a very high height. Luffy exclaimed in surprise before erupting into giggles as he bounced up and down like a trampoline. Katakuri similed behind his scarf. Luffy continued to jump until Katakuri made something else for him.

The man had observed the public playground he brought Luffy to often, and formed a jungle gym for the boy out of hardened mochi. And it wasn't sticky, which was good. Luffy screamed "Ahh! It's a playground!" and went hurrying over to play enthusiastically.

"You can bring your friends over sometime and play in private and not have to share with other kids. How's that sound?" Katakuri asked as he supervised Luffy's excited playing.

"Sounds fun!"

"I can also probably make some swings," the man added, getting a "Woo!" from Luffy, who was extremely happy. He began to zip around the play structure using his powers. The mochi bars didn't melt, thankfully, but Luffy soon tired himself out.

"Do you have homework to do?" Katakuri asked the spent boy. He nodded, but didn't seem too upset about it. "Want to go work on it now? Then you can have some of the left over tangerine pie."

"Kay!" Luffy said and quickly skipped inside. The homework was practicing tracing "E"s. Lowercase and uppercase. He was getting better at them, like he had for "A", which was all straight lines, while the others had curves.

It took him half an hour to fill out the whole double sided paper, and was treated to a small slice of the dessert. Then he took a short nap. The rest of the day was a lazy day. Katakuri read him a book that wasn't pictures, but was still for children. Brulle came over and was trying to teach Luffy how to play chess. It was fruitless, but Katakuri said it was good practice for forming strategies.

"Good and smart pirates can come up with strategies. How to go about doing something, how to win a fight. So chess is good practice," the ex-pirate said. Luffy being Luffy wasn't upset about losing spectacularly. He just vowed to get better so he be a stronger Pirate King.

"Of course. The Pirate King was a smart man," Katakuri replied. Luffy beamed up at him.

"I'll be smart some day, too," the boy cheered.

-x-

The next day, Luffy was playing at the public park, sharing toys strewn about with other children. He always made friends here, even if they didn't see each other much again. Luffy shared toys well, and built sand castles with the other little kids. But he didn't use his powers when playing tag, because that would be cheating.

Katakuri was reading a book, while still focusing on Luffy with his haki. Luffy moved around a lot, unable to stay doing one thing long. He amazed the other children when he leaped off the swing really high and landed perfectly fine.

Katakuri briefly looked up to see three not to nice looking kids with a shyer one who walked at a long distance from to the other boys. He walked to the swing set while the other boys walked towards Luffy. They didn't seem like they'd be there to make friends with Luffy.

The man wasn't worried, and just watched what was going to happen. Luffy didn't need his help, and if he was unafraid of Big Mom, these children would do nothing to bother his son. He watched but didn't do anything, interested in what Luffy would do.

The red haired boy smirked at Luffy and kicked down the sand castle he'd made. Luffy just stared at them, looked at his ruined sand castle, and simply picked up the pail to walk away to somewhere else, unbothered. After all, there was lots of sand he could rebuild with.

This wasn't the reaction the boys expected. The blonde kid watched in interest and surprise. His brothers didn't scare the little boy? He was at least two years younger than the three. And he was very small.

All three of the boys grew angrier and stomped across the sand to Luffy. Luffy just frowned at them and stood up. He was shorter than the three clearly bullies. "Please leave me alone," Luffy said politely.

"You sure are a runt," the green haired one said. Luffy laughed and put his hand behind his head.

"Haha, yeah! And my daddy is super big! It's funny," Luffy laughed. This angered the boys even more, and the blue haired one moved to kick Luffy, but suddenly, Luffy was three feet to the left, and the kid kicked the air.

"Hitting is not nice and you should stop," Luffy said in a hard voice. "You dont scare me. If I'm not scared of Big Mom, then I won't be afraid of you. Bye," Luffy said and picked up the pail before zipping away, though the boys seemed to be fast, too.

But Luffy wasn't just being trained in using his powers. Koori had taught him how to defend himself without the powers. And he'd learned how to get away from someone by doing flips, having used mochi at bunji chords so he could practice, and learned how to use his senses. Katakuri had taught him the importance of paying attention to your surroundings.

When the blue haired one caught up to Luffy, he tried to hit, but Luffy blocked the punch and zipped a few feet away. Luffy looked slightly angry, but unafraid and confident he could beat these kids. Technically, he didn't need to evade them, since their punches would do nothing.

When all three boys rushed him at the same time, Luffy jumped, using his powers a bit to force himself up and stepped on one of their heads to jump behind them. He didn't hit them at all, and could have kicked them easily.

The blonde boy looked at the kid in shock. His brothers were all genetically enhanced. But maybe that was the reason. They focused on using their powers most, and werent the most graceful fighters. They just went for the obvious punch and kick.

"I want to go back to play, so leave me alone," Luffy said sternly, looking at the pail in longing. Katakuri watched his son "battle" with a proud smirk. Luffy was a fast learner with combat, even if the devil fruit powers were hard for him.

The three rushed him again, all angry, and Luffy simply stuck his leg out and tripped all three, all landing face first into the sand. The blonde watched the fight with a very small smile. His brothers were being shown up by a child smaller and younger than them. Sanji then looked away and to the side of the playground he hadn't faced, and saw _Dogtooth_ watching with a smirk.

So that's why… This boy was the over a billion bounty ex-pirate's son. No doubt the big man would train his son in combat, even if he hadn't thrown one punch. And how the hell did none of the kids notice him?

But, Luffy was done with these kids. He'd let them hit him and show them they were nothing. They couldn't beat a logia, and didn't use haki like Koori and his old aunts and uncles could. When the red head rushed him, Luffy didn't move this time, and was punched in the face, but the fist went right through Luffy. The boy kept a hard, straight face.

"I _said _leave me alone!" Luffy shouted, and flickered lightning around his body, which hit the sand and turned it to glass since the lighting was so hot. The boys felt the heat from the electricity, and froze, not knowing how to continue.

Luffy scowled at all three, but then picked up the pail, and returned it to the boy who shared with him who had retreated with his mother, and walked to Koori. He'd play on his own jungle gym. These kids were jerks.

"If you think your genetically modified kids can beat my son, you are dead wrong," Katakuri said, knowing the man from the day before was behind him a ways. "And if you or any of your children target my boy, you'll all regret it. Just because I'm not a pirate anymore, doesn't mean I've gotten soft," Katakuri said, and got up and grinned at Luffy. He picked him up and set the kid on his shoulder.

"That was great, Luffy!" he said in a proud voice. Luffy laughed and grinned at the praise.

"I got stronger, Koori! And there was three of them, too," Luffy said, holding onto his daddy's scarf.

Apparently the three boys had not been told that that boy was the _son_ of the fierce pirate. They knew he lived in this town, but their father set them up to fight his _kid _and didn't tell them? If he wanted to, Dogtooth could have killed them in a second. But, the man let his son fight his own fight. And knew that he would win.

The boys were embarrassed and angry. They stomped over to their father, faces red. Sanji slowly walked over, too, glad he was able to witness the fight. Luffy was strong, and beat older kids that were born with superpowers.

But it was clear that Luffy was being trained by one of the strongest pirates out there. Well, used to be a pirate, but was clearly still strong. He radiated danger, though those at the park didn't seem to mind him much. And he very big, even towering over their father.

Sanji knew that his siblings would want revenge, but they were not petty enough to set their house on fire or something underhanded like that. That would not prove their strength, only what brats they were.

"That was disgraceful!" Judge said angrily. He was still put off and angry with what Dogtooth had said to him. There was no way that runt could beat his boys. "You were acting all as weak as Sanji!"

Reiju had been away with her father watching through a bush, and chuckling at their pathetic fight. The little boy was in control of his emotions, while her younger brothers grew angry, and that made them weaker.

She never thought that someone as fierce as Dogtooth would have a tiny child. It was cute, and their interaction when they left the park made her smile. And what a polite child, too. She wished she could meet him under other circumstances before their ship was repaired and they could set sail again.

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**Stupid Vinsmokes. That's right, I embarrassed you in my story. Review! **


	2. Chapter 2

**myzmsandraa99: Thank you! It's fun making stories cute and sweet.**

**lazygreycloud: I'm glad you found it!**

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**More Vinsmoke asshole-ness in this chapter. Zoro might get himself into trouble one day with that big mouth!**

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"For your first successful fight, we'll have some stirfry, your favorite besides pasta," Katakuri said as they headed to the market.

"Yay!" Luffy cheered, sitting in the front pocket Katakuri had in each shirt, even ones that didn't originally have them and had Brulle sew them on for him. The two got a large sum of carrots and broccoli, and would use the meat Katakuri would hunt. Bear meat always tasted good with stir fry.

"You can tell Brulle all about your first real fight. Not the ones at your old owner's places." The man made sure to make it known that those old masters were not fathers, and that Katakuri "adopted" Luffy. He was never Luffy's owner.

"And we can train tomorrow and can finally work on your fighting with the devil fruit. I think you're ready to start practicing," Katakuri said as they walked up the path to their home. Luffy cheered from his pocket.

-x-

At dinner, which was tons of broccoli, carrots, bear meat and lots of special sauce, Luffy told Brulle all about today's "fight".

"Zoro is gonna think I'm so cool! I bet he will be jealous 'cause he wants to be a swordsman and fight strong people. He says he wants to be a 'badass', but Miss Conis told him not to say that," Luffy said between large bites.

"You don't say that word around people other than at home. It basically means he wants to be super cool and strong," Brulle explained.

"Oh, okay. I wont say it around other people," Luffy replied. He drank lots of lemonade, which might have been a mistake since he'd stay awake longer, but it was a weekend, so he could sleep in before training. Today had counted as training since he'd had a little "battle", though it had been short.

Like Katakuri had thought, it was hard to get Luffy to bed. But once he was finally in bed and under the fluffy and warm covers, he was out like a light. The real challenge was just getting him to bed, not falling asleep.

Because Luffy and he had angered the Vinsmoke family (he wasn't stupid. He knew their ship came into the harbor and he saw it), Katakuri slept with his haki open still, a talent that had taken him decades to hone.

But it was a peaceful night, and nothing out of the ordinary happened.

-x-

"Okay. Before we practice aiming the lightning, I want you to learn how to summon it. How to get it to come to you," he elaborated when Luffy cocked his head at the word. "You know how you can form it around your body sometimes?" Luffy nodded. "Now I want you to form it in your hands. We have a lot of tubs of water here, so we will put out any fires if any come.

"I widened the training field for that. Okay, put your hands up in the air, like this. Now try and get lightning to come into your hands. Ready? Okay, now," Katakuri encouraged. Luffy did better with focusing on positive and not the negative.

Luffy formed little sparks in his hands. It was better than nothing, and Katakuri told him good job, and to try and make it bigger now. "Try and think about those mean boys, and protecting your friends from them. You're best friends mean the world to you right? So, you gotta learn to help protect them and yourself."

The boy glared at the thought. If it hadn't been him in that fight, and one of his friends like Nami or Usopp, they would have been hurt. Especially since the kids were fast and punched hard. He grew angry at anyone hurting his friends.

"AHHHH!" he screamed determinedly as he summoned a huge blue bolt of lightning that was seen high in the sky and make its own cracking noise. It shot down Luffy's small body and scorched the ground.

He panted afterwards, and fell on his butt. That was really, really tiring. He already felt exhausted. Katakuri looked at him in shock and then beamed, running over to the boy. "That was incredible, Luffy," he said, and picked the sleepy boy up. "Well, looks like it's time for a nap," he said quietly as Luffy was already snoozing.

Brulle lived further away from the property in her own house they built, and hurried from the mirror world into her brother and nephews house, worried. She'd seen and heard the thick bolt of lightning.

She saw Katakuri close Luffy's bedroom door quietly, a grin on his face, baring his sharp teeth, but not in a scary way. At least not to his sister. She looked at him worriedly. What had happened?

They walked to the living room and onto the big couches. "Well, I found Luffy's real motivation."

-x-

The people down at the town didn't miss the lightning strike in the middle of the day, not a cloud in sight. Then it didn't happen again, and it hadn't started any fires. They each wondered what caused it, but knew that that area was where the ex-pirate lived, so they did expect some intense things to go on over there. It hadn't hurt anyone down in town, so they didn't worry about it.

The only ones who knew what it must have been, were Luffy's close friends, and the Vinsmokes, who were on their own ship, and saw and heard the bolt. It must've been that little kid with the lightning powers.

They were each positive that could have killed any of them. Even their father, who looked angry. Clearly, he wasn't happy with another child being as strong as his own. Or stronger. Reiju was the only one who saw it in a positive light. She wasn't afraid of him, because she didn't feel like picking a fight, she just thought it was amazing and had been pretty.

When Nami saw it from picking tangerines from the orchard, she started cheering Luffy on. "Wooo! Good job, Luffy!" she screamed. Bellmere and Nojiko wondered what she was doing, though they were curious and startled with the lightning.

Usopp had the same reaction as Nami, and Zoro just smirked. Impressive. School was the next day, and Luffy could tell them all about it. Though he wondered why Luffy was practicing on a Sunday.

The three knew that Luffy had trouble with his devil fruit, which was completely justified and understandable, so being able to do what he just did was a huge improvement. He just hoped his friend could control it.

-x-

The next day, Luffy walked to school with Koori with a bounce in his step. He couldn't wait to tell his friends about what happened that weekend. First, he wins a fight against some meanies, and then he could "summin" a big bolt of lightning! Though he had to sleep the rest of the day after that.

The boy was gripping the straps of his backpack with a grin. Neither father nor son saw the boys or their father on the way to school. Well, the blonde boy was sitting on a bench, and stared at Luffy in awe as he walked to his school. None of his siblings or brothers were around to bother the kid, so that was nice for Luffy.

But Sanji wanted him to fry his family alive. Sanji would be the only survivor and then he could go follow his dream of being a cook. He got up and followed the boy and his massive dad, and what he saw made him sad. Dogtooth and little boy both sounded so happy. The man was telling him his friends will be so proud. And Luffy laughed back.

That must be how normal families are. Sanji had never been around another family, but he knew they must not all be as bad as his. Then he saw Luffy be put down at a small building, and the little boy ran inside, calling for his friends, how he had to tell them something. Through the open doorway, he could see other children rush to Luffy.

Sanji wished he was in Luffy's place. Even if Sanji ran away right now, he'd not get very far. Not on a smaller island like this one. Sure, there was another small town at the other side of the tall, forested mountain, but Sanji would still be found probably. Why he was wanted back was a mystery. After all, none of them liked him. But, if he were to run, the best idea would be to go to the other town and board a ship quickly.

The older boy sighed and walked back to the bench to get into trouble for leaving the ship without permission.

-x-

"Did you guys see the lightning yesterday?" Luffy asked in a hushed voice. No one else really knew about his powers, except maybe the few kids at the park, who would most likely not be believed, or didn't think it happened for real.

But while Luffy wasn't worried about it much, his daddy was. He didn't want Luffy to become a target, not that Luffy could die easily, and Katakuri would find him immediately if he was taken. But still, until Luffy was absolutely in control, he didn't want anyone unnecessary knowing.

"I did!" Nami said, to which Usopp agreed, and Zoro smirked. "It was pretty amazing. I was impressed. What changed? You usually can't control it much."

"Oh, but I gotta tell you what happened on Saturday first!" and the boy recounted the little fight, and how Luffy had won easily. The other three were grinning by the end, glad those jerks got what they deserved.

"Bet they thought they could win, and were humiliated when they didn't. Hah, what little shits," Zoro said with a laugh, only to get scolded by Miss Conis for swearing in class again, even if it was before learning time started. Zoro told her that he didn't even notice when he did it, but tried to not do it.

"Try to learn to notice before you say it. Lots of people swear _at home _but not in school," she said as she went to start class. Luffy told them he'd tell them the other story at the next break time. Today was a quiz on the alphabet and the letters they'd learned so far.

Katakuri sat outside the building, as he felt like something was going to happen today. So he sat outside, his eyes closed, but definitely not sleeping. He could sense the docile kid that was a Vinsmoke across the plaza. He had been watching Luffy and him walk to the school. But he felt no powerful or negative energy coming from him, so he hadn't acknowledged his gaze.

It was close to the end of the five hour long school day that he noticed some stronger presences show up. He felt the largest Vinsmoke, Judge, when he just stood there and stared at Katakuri resting against the wall. But, he was surprised by the feelings the modified children gave off.

Though they'd been haughty and snotty a couple days ago, now they felt afraid. The big man opened his eyes, and looked at the family, noticing the blonde was standing behind all of them, like he was forgotten except for the red cheek, as he had been slapped.

"My children want to fight your child to see who's strongest. A fair fight," Judge said. Katakuri flicked his gaze to the boys, who looked anything but thrilled to be in the line of sight by Dogtooth. They clearly didn't want to be there.

The parenting where the adult chooses what his or her child to do with his their life reminded him of his former Mother. Katakuri kept the hard expression on. The one he wore whenever he wasn't with Luffy.

"No," he said simply. "Luffy doesn't need anymore helpful influence from your family. Plus, one of your children might end up dead by the end. I'm sure you saw yesterday's lightning strike." Judge looked confused and angry.

"What do you mean, 'helpful influence'?"

"Simple. The fight from the other day pushed Luffy to surpass his previous limit. He doesn't need any more. He will figure the rest out himself. You don't seem too concerned about the threat of your children being killed," Katakuri commented. "I don't need haki to tell they don't want to be anywhere near me or my son."

The kids looked away, hating the feeling of fear they were getting from this powerful ex-pirate.

"Your kid got lucky the last time. It was clearly luck, and he isn't as powerful as you say," Judge replied. Katakuri slowly pulled his trident out of his body, and stood up, holding it pointed down. Judge looked uneasy, while the kids backed away.

The little girl standing further away looked concerned and nervous.

"My son will have nothing to do with any of you. He doesn't need to be anywhere near toxic families again. And if you want him to be afraid of any of you, you will be greatly disappointed. Now leave, before the children come out," Katakuri finished, but keeping his haki under control because the kids inside would no doubt feel it, and the man had worked a lot to be accepted in the sleepy town.

He only brought his trident out because there was no one else around and the side of the school he had been leaning against had no windows. The Vinsmoke children, including the non-super human one, all clearly wanted to leave. Especially now that their father was getting angry. Usually, the three boys (not including the blonde) would watch Judge beat down and defeat an enemy, but there was no way the man could beat this ridiculously overpowered ex-pirate.

How could someone make _mochi _powerful? Actually, how did many of the Big Mom Pirates get powerful? Many of the strongest had food related devil fruit abilities. And how did they all get those? Devil fruits were rare and hard to identify, so it was curious that the children of someone who loves food would have food related powers.

Katakuri felt the children inside heading towards the door. It was just about time for parents to show up, so the ex-pirate put the trident away so as not to scare the others, especially the kids and Luffy's friends.

"Koori! Can my friends come over? Huh?" Luffy asked as he saw who his daddy was staring at. It was the whole meanie family. Luffy glared at them, but it was hard to take little Luffy's anger serious as it just looked like a disgruntled pout.

"Are these the kids you whooped their asses?" Zoro wondered. They sure were a colorful bunch. Katakuri knew immediately that the boys would go after Zoro, and didn't want Luffy to show his powers or lose control of what happened the day before, so in light speed, Katakuri's massive trident appeared right in front of the boys.

"You will not touch my son's friends," he snarled. The boys backed off. Zoro smirked. Luffy's dad was pretty cool. Nami and Usopp looked at him with awe. He cared about them enough to look scary, which he did his best not to. "If I see any of you around my son or his friends again, I will personally make sure you remember I that was a Yonko's son for forty seven years."

The other parents who saw this and heard the man's words hurried to take their kids and leave.

"Yes, they can some over to play, Luffy," Katakuri said. "If any of you see these people near, tell me. I'll take care of it then." Luffy glared at them as he and his friends left the school. Luffy's attention snapped back to his friends, and asked if they wanted to race to his place.

"I'm in. I know you'll win probably, but I will come in second place." Usopp and Nami agreed to race, mostly because they wanted away from the Vinsmokes as fast as possible. They creeped them out, especially the oldest one. When Nami saw the blonde one in the back of the group looking at her, his eyes were wide and cheeks pink. Nami smiled at him, feeling bad for him being stuck in that group.

Then the four ran to Luffy's big house, Zoro coming in second of course. Usopp finished before Nami, even though they both werent very athletic. Katakuri leisurely walked behind all of them, making sure none of the now-humiliated family followed.

Judge really was so upset that someone was stronger than his children he'd messed up before birth. Quite immature, and Katakuri was looking forward to them leaving once their castle-ship was fixed.

It perplexed the ex-pirate that their ship wasn't being repaired faster. Sure, the shipwrights on this island werent many, but as rich and demanding a family the Vinsmokes were, you'd think they'd have intimidated the poor workers to have their ship take priority over everything else.

Were they just staying because of a grudge that someone beat the children in a "fight"? If that little tiff was even considered a true fight.


	3. Chapter 3

**Smiley-Nami: I'm glad you like it! I finished it, so don't worry about me just suddenly stopping.**

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**This chapter is a more normal look into Luffy and Katakuri's life. And a certain blonde. Enjoy~**

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As the trees were very thick on either side of the trail the father and son had made to their home, it wouldn't be really possible for Judge to fit through. Katakuri and Luffy couldn't walk through the thick trees and that's why they ended up cutting some down to make it possible for them to leave and come back easier. So it would be difficult for the "family" to all get through the woods without Katakuri absolutely noticing them immediately.

So at the beginning of the trail, Katakuri made a thick gate out of hardened mochi, and then continued to follow the kids.

Luffy surprised his friends with the jungle gym and mochi trampoline. To say the four kindergarteners had fun with the new things would be an understatement. Even Zoro was laughing while they all played, and he usually kept his enthusiasm lower than his other young friends.

But he was having a blast on the mochi trampoline. The others raced and played on the large jungle gym. "I wish I had your daddy's powers! I could make so many cool things!" Luffy laughed.

"Yeah, it's really cool!" Luffy agreed, playing with his friends while Zoro finally stopped bouncing, and was catching his breath. His face grew red in embarrassment of how loud and enthusiastic he'd been in front of his friends. He was supposed to be the cool one.

"Hey, Luffy, will you show us what you did yesterday? I want to see it up close," Zoro said with a grin. He really wanted to see his friend's progress. Luffy looked to the supervisor, who nodded. As long as the kids stayed far from him, it was unlikely they'd be hit. After all, Katakuri was meters taller than all of them and hadn't been struck.

"Yay! 'Kay, I'll show you guys!" Luffy cheered as they ran to the training area. Their property really was massive, though they had made it for themselves. The land hadn't been owned, so it was open for them to make their own place far out.

Plus, at the beginning, they wanted the fearsome Dogtooth to be far from them. The kids all stood next to each other while Luffy ran off to the other side of the field. He hoped he wouldn't get super tired again.

Luffy grew quiet and serious, and looked at his friends. How much he loved them and would protect them from those boys. Like Koori had. He scrunched his eyes tightly and suddenly a thick bolt of lightning appeared and struck down Luffy, scorching the ground in a new place. It lasted longer and was much brighter and hotter than last time. Then it ended.

For the first time, Luffy's hair reacted to the electricity and stuck up like he had bad bedhead. He stayed awake this time, though he was a little sleepy. His friends all had their mouths open in shock before cheering for his huge progress. It was cool having a friend with a devil fruit, and they wished they had some, too! Well, except Zoro. He didn't want any help with becoming a swordsman. He'd do it completely himself.

"Wanna know what helps me do it?" Luffy asked as he zipped over to them, the ground still smoking where he'd been standing. They nodded. "You guys! Cause I wanna protect you from bad people, so I have to get stronger!"

Usopp and Nami gave small and sincere smiles. Zoro looked slightly offended. He could take care of himself! But it was still a nice sentiment. That they were his motivation to get more powerful.

"Do you guys want to do your homework here?" Katakuri called. It was three by then. The kids' backpacks were all in the house before they had immediately gone to play. "You can all do it together."

"Yeah, we should do that," Nami said, and Usopp agreed with her, like always. Out of the group, Nami and Usopp were closest, while Zoro and Luffy were. They were still all best friends, though. Zoro looked at the mochi trampoline once again, but turned a little red again as to how noisy he'd been on it.

"Yeah, it should be easy if we're all doing it together," Zoro commented, and the kids all went inside and to the smaller table that was Luffy and his friends', since the dinner table was huge because of the father's size.

The four all did their homework together with Luffy was the last to finish, as he wasn't the brightest student. Powerful, definitely, but not the smartest. To the others, though, it was endearing. He was the glue that seemed to hold the fours' close friendship together.

Since it was a school night, the kids had to go home and have dinner and then go to bed. Tonight, though, Katakuri walked them each home, with Luffy on his shoulder. Though the man wasn't really a person to like children, Luffy's friends were good ones. When Luffy accidentally let slip he had been a slave (he really had too big a mouth sometimes), none of them reacted in any way that would make Luffy feel bad. Well, anyone in Luffy's situation that _wasn't _Luffy.

They didn't show pity, or disgust. They just all moved on, since that was a long time ago, and now Luffy was here and their friend. Luffy also loved them very much, so Katakuri would make sure his son's beloved friends got home safely. He even walked Zoro up to the front door, as he was the one who had made the snide comment about the modified brats.

He was the last to go, and Luffy loudly said he'd see him the next day. Katakuri and Luffy were on the way home when Luffy said, "Zoro had lots of fun on the bouncy mochi! He's never that excited, always tryin' to be serious. Can you make one for him? So he can do it at home and not get embarrassed to be happy with it?" he asked, with a big grin. "Zoro should always have fun!"

"I will this weekend. I'm sure he'd appreciate that. It was quite different to see him so outwardly happy, wasn't it?" the man asked, sticking Luffy in his front pocket.

"He'll prolly say he doesn't want it, but will want it. He'll prolly just try and sound cool. Silly Zoro," Luffy said with a smile. "What's for dinner?" the boy asked.

"Well, we still have bear meat, so we could have that with special sauce. Not stir fry since we don't have all the ingredients," Katakuri said in an even voice. He had started to stop wondering "When did I become like this?" at certain moments and just accepted that this was who he was now. A father who made sure to get along with his neighbors and his son's friends.

How disgusted Mama would be.

"Meat is yummy even without special sauce!" Luffy exclaimed. "Meat is good for you, too. 'Cause it's tasty and is yummy and makes you happy, so it's good for you," Luffy insisted.

"Meat is also healthy for your body. You get certain nutrients from meat. It makes you stronger, and of course, tastes good. So yes, it's very good for you," Katakuri replied. Luffy gasped.

"So if I eat only meat I'll be super strong like you?" he asked with wide eyes. Katakuri chuckled as they walked up the path to their home.

"No, you need other types of nutrients meat can't give you. Fruits and vegetables are needed as well. That's why we buy lots of tangerines and apples. Spinach and other greens are healthy for you," the man explained. When they entered the house, he kept Luffy in his front pocket as he got the slabs of meat from the fridge and got the supplies together to cook.

He had gone to another island through Brulle's mirror world to get utensils and kitchenware big enough for him, so the pan he used was massive compared to regular pans.

"But… doesnt Big Mom only eat candy? How's she alive if she doesn't eat anything else?" Luffy wondered, baffled about how someone who eats only sugar could still be alive. It's definitely the cause of her being fat, but was she completely unhealthy?

"That is a mystery to me. And to some of the siblings. No one really knows how she's not dead already form her eating habits. Not that anyone would ever _say that _to her, of course. There weren't many healthy foods in Totto Land. Not much meat or vegetables. I don't know how I survived for so long eating mostly donuts and toast," Katakuri said as he cooked the meat, watching it on the stove and turning the slabs over at the right times.

"Magic! That's prolly why. I'm glad I wasn't there long to get fat! How was Pudding not fat? She made desserts all the time. They were yummy, too," Luffy replied. Out of everyone, he had missed Pudding the most. They'd only known each other for a couple months, so it hadn't taken long to get over not seeing her anymore, especially after Katakuri had worked so hard to be able to make desserts like she did.

The ones he did make were great, but he knew he wasn't as talented in the baking department as his former younger sister. "Pudding made all of the desserts, but she didn't eat them. Remember, she gave a lot to you, and much of it to her customers? She had self-control. With eating, self-control is needed. Though mostly in unhealthy food. You can eat tons of fruits and vegetables and not get fat."

"That's definitely magic." Katakuri chuckled and set him down, getting his a cup of milk as he asked for one while walking up the stairs to his chair. "Hey, Koori, you know what would be really cool?"

"What?"

"If me and my friends ALL become pirates! It'd be so fun! We could go on adventures. I should ask them!" Luffy exclaimed as he stuffed his face with bear meat.

-x-

The next day, he did so. It was the first thing he said when he entered the classroom. "Hey, guys!" he called as he ran to his group of friends. "Let's all be pirates!"

"Huh?" each friend said, startled.

"Well, when I become Pirate King, I need a crew, right? And not like Big Mom's crew, cause they didn't get to do anything fun. We could go on adventures and stuff like that," Luffy said, his eyes sparkling at the prospect.

"I don't know, it doesn't sound that exciting. Besides, I wanna be the strongest swordsman in the world. I gotta fight the big wigs. So I become a badass!" Zoro replied. He got scolded again. Luffy pouted when he sat down on the carpet.

"Hmm… I don't think I'd be a very good pirate, Luffy. Pirates are bad guys, you know?" Usopp asked frowning.

"Nuh uh, Shanks is a good guy. And Koori is a good guy now, too. Big Mom is a bad guy. Well, bad lady. And stupid and mean! We won't be like Big Mom pirates. We'd have lots of fun and adventures. And Zoro could be the strongest swordsman _and _be a pirate, right? Plus, the Pirate King needs a strong crew, so I'd accept nothing less than the best, Zoro. So prepare yourself!" then he erupted into laughter.

"Well, whatever happens, it's gonna be a long time from now. We're only kids, right?" Nami reasoned. She didn't feel like getting into an argument about their futures at least a decade early. Usopp nodded along with her words.

"Well, we gotta have a plan first, right?" Luffy insisted. Nami and Usopp frowned.

"Luffy, we can't decide _now! _Let's just have fun not being pirates, and then if we decide to, well, then that's what we do, right? You might not even want to be Pirate King anymore," Usopp said. Luffy gasped, and looked extremely offended.

"I will always wanna be Pirate King! Since I was littler. Always, Usopp! I'm a man of my words!"

"Alright, let's settle down. You guys can be whatever you want, but just live in the now for now, right? It's a long while before you have to make hard decisions like that yourself. You have mommies and daddies to help you with things like that," Miss Conis said kindly, coming over to calm them down so class could begin.

"My daddy is already helping me become Pirate King, you know?" Luffy said bluntly. Miss Conis chuckled.

"Well, he _was_ a pirate, so you will be very prepared, won't you?" she asked with a smile. Luffy beamed and nodded enthusiastically.

Katakuri was guarding outside the school again, until the Vinsmokes leave. He chuckled to himself as he could hear Luffy through the windows on the other side of the building. What a noisy kid he was.

The man was grateful that no one thought he was suspicious. The people who did live near had heard about what happened the day before, and why him being out there had been helpful. Plus, Katakuri rarely took interest in anything other than something Luffy-related.

This time, so he wasn't incredibly bored, he brought a couple books, since he'd be out there for awhile. He was reading through books at the shop that Luffy thought sounded fun to read. The man was reading through them to make sure the content was appropriate for a six year old. He didn't want any stories that could possibly be bad influences.

Katakuri wasn't the best influence as he had been a pirate, but he was the best thing that could have happened to Luffy and vice versa. But, Luffy had been dead set on being Pirate King even before Katakuri had adopted him.

By the end of the first hour, he had weeded out one of the books, as it had some plot lines involving suspicious substances. Luffy would have no clue of what any of them were, but it would be better than to have him ask and Katakuri lie. He was reading the third book when he sensed another person running to his area.

It was the blonde Vinsmoke. He looked frightened, and Katakuri could feel he was. His eyes were wide with fear as he sprinted as fast as he could away from the direction he came from, wearing a ratty backpack. Katakuri had his haki follow the kid all the way to the forest. He wasn't concerned about the boy possibly doing something bad to their home. And the kid passed the property anyways, and headed up the mountain. Katakuri lost him once he finally went to climb down the other side.

Well, with a parent like Judge, Katakuri couldn't blame him for running away. He wasn't one to judge someone for defecting from a family he didn't want to be part of anymore. He'd done that himself, after all. The man wondered if the kid would end up getting away. He went back to the books.

-x-

_Gotta run faster,_ Sanji thought as he sprinted through the town. He'd left after being excluded from breakfast, and pretended to go back to his room, but then gathered clothes and a framed picture off the wall of his mother. He then climbed out of the bathroom window and dropped down into the water before climbing up the dock and running.

He sprinted through the forest and up the mountain. Unlike his brothers, he wasn't superhuman, so it was difficult and tiring to hike up the steep mountain. He almost fell down the other side. There was the other town. It was bigger than the previous one. And there was a big cruise ship at the docks, looking like it was about to depart.

He could blend in there. He could make it! He sprinted as fast as he could, and at the last moment when the boat was pulling away, he leapt off of the dock and over the water, catching the bars of the railing, and pulled himself up.

He was free? Surely they wouldn't come after him. He wondered if he'd ever see the pretty girl who would probably grow up to be very pretty, or the lightning boy who had embarrassed his evil siblings and father. That was probably one of his current fondest memories. And he'd inspired Sanji to finally make a break for it.

That kid would grow up to be very strong. Especially with Dogtooth as his father.

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**Yay! Sanji ran away! But will the Vinsmokes come after him? Nah, probably not, but who knows.**


	4. Chapter 4

**WhiteyWolf: lol, none of that happens I'm sorry to say, but it does sound interesting. The story isn't long enough for all of that and fifty pages was what I could crank out. Pretty short compared to my usual 100+ paged stories. I don't remember if you were the one who was looking forward to little dragon Luffy, but that story is going on again. Don't know when it will be uploaded, still. Luffy was four when abducted, five when Katakuri found him, and six in this story. Ace does appear, but it is very minor. VERY minor. **

**myzmsandraa99: I couldn't bear to leave poor Sanji with those terrible people. Some day he'll see Luffy again, which will be a surprise. Won't be a sequel, but I'd imagine that would happen. **

**The Keeper of Worlds: Thank you!**

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"Koori, did the mean people leave already?" Luffy asked from Katakuri's shoulder, looking behind them and towards the harbor, where the big ship had been for awhile. The man sighed.

"Be careful, sit, don't stand," Katakuri said before he replied to the question. "They have not left yet, but they won't get close to you or Zoro without me coming after them and being a pirate again, even if it's for a single moment."

"You mean kill?" Luffy wondered.

"Not necessarily. I could do something else. Could hurt them in a different way to get the message through their haughty minds. But, I want to avoid a fight. We don't want Whitebeard kicking us off, do we?" Luffy shook his head. Whitebeard was a nice guy to him, but Katakuri told Luffy all about how tough the man could be against opponents or enemies. "I saw the blonde kid run into the woods this morning. I think he ran away from them."

"He seemed like he didn't want to be with the meanies. Not very nice family members. I hope he got away," Luffy commented, thinking of the sad looking boy with blonde hair. Katakuri nodded in agreement. "Can we go to the park? I wanna build sand castles without mean kids bothering me."

"Alright, but you have to do your homework when we get home," Katakuri replied as he turned and switched the route to the kids' park.

"We don't have any homework because of the test. I don't think I did good, though," the boy said sadly. "But, Miss Conis said that effort is important and I try really hard, too. So I hope I get a good score!" Katakuri smiled behind his scarf. Luffy sniffled his nose loudly.

"Effort and practice are both very important. And you work hard on both, so I'm sure she'll be understanding. What did you not understand?" the father asked. Luffy frowned, embarrassed about what he'd gotten wrong.

"I forgot some of the alphabet. I got nervous, I guess. But I remember them now! I just forgot then. But Zoro isn't good at the ABC's either. Usopp and Nami are smartest about it. But I know it now. 'ABCDEFG, HIJKLMNOP, QRS, TUV, WXY and Z'! See, I can do it, but I just forgot!" Luffy insisted, not wanting to be seen as stupid. After all, the ABC's are stuff _everyone_ knows.

"That's fine, Luffy. You're still six, you have a lot of time to learn stuff like that. And yes, you need to be smart to be Pirate King, even if you have someone smart like Nami on your crew," Katakuri replied as they walked into the park.

Luffy was set down and Katakuri sat on the grass. It was a nice small park and was probably one of Luffy's favorite things in the town they lived in. The boy looked around but there was no one playing with a bucket. He turned to Koori and took the instantly formed and hardened mochi bucket from him, and went to play.

No one bothered them there. No mutant children or arrogant, narcissistic men. Luffy was content to entertain himself in the empty playground. Luffy did get sand in his nose after itching it with a sandy hand, and sneezed, making his entire body crackle loudly. Katakuri looked up sharply when he saw the sudden flickering when his son _sneezed. _

"Uh oh," Luffy said simply.

-x-

"Well, you don't have a temperature, but you should stay home tomorrow anyways," Katakuri said as he kneeled next to Luffy's bed. What they thought the sneeze had come from was the sand, not Luffy's first cold.

"But I was supposed to convince my friends to be pirates! And it was gonna work, too," Luffy pouted, and coughed, another zap going through him. Katakuri handed him to tissue box, and the boy took one and rubbed his runny but also stuffy nose. It was as soon as they got home that he started showing symptoms of a cold. It was good Katakuri wasn't affected by Luffy's lightning as he would have gotten shocked many times already just from carrying Luffy whenever he coughed.

"I'm sure that could wait. You don't want to shock any of them, right? Or get them sick, too," the father reasoned. Luffy was laying in bed, and luckily the shocks didn't harm the bed. Katakuri didn't know what was going on. Luffy said he'd never been sick before, so he didn't know what would happen, but the lightning hadn't harmed anything. Yet.

"No, I don't want them to get sick, too," Luffy mumbled. "They would be mad."

"I'm sure they wouldn't be mad at you, but it's best to not risk them getting sick anyways. And I'm sure Miss Conis will let you make up your work. We can work on the next couple letters here at home so you won't be too far behind," the man said gently. "I'll bring you some water and then you should try and take a nap."

"I don't wanna take a nap," Luffy replied. "Naps are boring!" Katakuri smiled in entertainment, which Luffy frowned at, since he could see Koori's mouth without the scarf. "It's not funny, Koori!"

"I'm sorry. You usually like naps. Surely that wouldn't change just because you have a cold." Luffy looked down, quietly conceding agreement.

He pouted one last time before he agreed to try and take a nap. And, like always, he was out like a light. Katakuri didn't close the door behind him after putting a cup of water on the wooden nightstand.

Luffy had never gotten sick before, and Katakuri hadn't in a long time either, but he knew what to do since Brulle used to get sick all the time as kids. Big Mom didn't exactly take care of her "children" when sick, so Katakuri would do it.

He went to call Brulle and tell her what happened and ask if she could let the teacher know and tell Luffy's friends so they didn't worry. Plus, it would be dangerous for them to visit as they didnt know what else would happen with Luffy's powers and the cold.

"Brulle, tomorrow morning can you tell Luffy's teacher and friends that he is sick with a cold? Luffy wouldn't want them to worry. You can just go through the mirror and tell them in the classroom if you want," her brother explained. Brulle frowned, feeling bad for her nephew.

"Do you want me to make some soup, since you're not too good at it?" the woman asked. Katakuri accepted the offer and thanked her, having already thought about asking for it. He had always spectacularly failed at any kind of soup. He didn't know why, but he just never made anything close to being edible.

Suddenly the lights flickered and turned off. He hung up the transponder snail and went into Luffy's room, but nothing was amiss. He was still sleeping, though snoring softly from the stuffy nose, so it must have just been a small surge that turned off the power.

But the lights came back on a few seconds later. Katakuri sighed, wondering what else would happen. Hopefully nothing too bad, but he got some water out to douse on any flames if necessary.

-x-

"'H' is hard, Koori," Luffy grumbled as he practiced tracing the letter his dad wrote, who was helping him with learning outside of his class. Miss Conis had told Brulle that they'd still be working on letters. Luffy's friends were worried about him, but understood what Brulle meant when she said the "side effects" might be dangerous. But they still hoped he'd get better soon.

"I know, but you got passed 'A', and these lines are straight, not slanted. And Miss Conis told you that they don't have to be perfect, right? Don't worry about that, just make sure you know _how _to write it," he explained kindly, sitting next to Luffy's table as he practiced, a trashcan full of tissues next to him.

The power had gone out a couple more times, though it was strange how it worked. There was no lightning, just the lights flickering, so there was no warning as to when they went out, besides when he sneezed.

When Brulle brought the soup over for dinner, Katakuri had had her hand it to him through the mirror, not wanting to risk something happening to her in case Luffy sneezed or coughed too hard. But, the soup was hot and Luffy was able to dip soft crackers into it and have a nice, simple and warm meal. He slept deeply again and didn't wake up until late the next morning.

"Koori?" he called from his room. Katakuri was reading on the couch after cleaning a bit and quickly went into the little boy's room when he heard his name called.

"Morning, Luffy. How are you feeling today?" Luffy made his hand do a "so-so" movement, and coughed. Lightning didn't spark this time, which Katakuri took as an improvement. Luffy had never been injured, but Katakuri could see him being a quick healer. He wondered how Luffy got sick. Where did he catch the cold from? Someone else in the class? If so, what were their parents doing, letting a sick kid come to school? Irresponsible.

"Koori, when can I go back to school?" Luffy asked sadly. He knew it was too late in the day to go, and he felt better than yesterday, but not completely better. He missed his friends. Katakuri needed next to the bed.

"If you're feeling better the rest for the day, you might be able to go back tomorrow. But don't fake it, okay? Plus, you aren't a very good liar, so I'd know," the man said, earning a giggle from the boy, who knew that was true.

"I'll get better someday," Luffy replied with a cheeky grin.

"Somehow I doubt that, but I guess we'll see, huh?" Luffy grinned and sat up.

"Is there more yummy soup?" he asked. "What time is it?" Katakuri looked at the clock on the wall, which Luffy couldn't read, and told him it was twelve thirty. Luffy gasped, predictably, and said, "I miss two meals?!" in horror.

"Well, you missed breakfast, but you could just be having a late lunch," Katakuri said as he left the room to get some soup and heat it up on the stove for a bit. It didn't take long and, like usual, Luffy had finished it in about five minutes, and held the bowl up, eyes wide and innocent as he asked for more. The man couldn't resist and got another bowl for him.

"You're clearly feeling better, so I'm glad. You just ate, so I'm going to take your temperature in a little while. If it's still above 100 degrees, you're not going to school tomorrow."

"But you said if I was feeling better I could!" Luffy protested.

"I said 'might'. Getting over a cold takes some time and energy, which is why you're so sleepy and need rest. The temperature really tells if you're healed or close to healing," Katakuri explained patiently. When Luffy pouted, the father said, "I'm doing what's best for you. Don't worry."

"How do you know all this stuff? Big Mom seems to mean to take care of a kid," Luffy wondered, tilting his head to the side. Katakuri explained that he'd learned from a doctor when he was a kid and having to take care of a sick Brulle. He'd been shown once, and he'd remembered all of it since it was necessary to. Luffy smiled.

"You are a nice big brother, Koori," he said. "I think I'll go back to sleep. I want to get better sooner to see my friends," Luffy explained and shimmied back under the blankets and fell asleep. Katakuri took the empty bowl back to the kitchen and washed it before he forgot and just left it in the sink.

-x-

"He's not here," Niji said, sighing in slight relief. None of the boys wanted to fight the little boy, since they now knew who was his parent. It was late morning and the boys were sitting out of view of the school, but still close enough to know if the little boy and Dogtooth came.

They had a mini transponder snail that was connected to one with Judge and Reiju. Reiju had not been happy with their ambush plan. To get the boy when he came outside for play time. Sanji had had to be a scout and observe the school. They went outside to play on Wednesdays. He had told them that the day before he escaped.

No one noticed he was gone until it was much too late. They only knew he wasn't there by his clothes being gone, him not present in his closet/room, and the bathroom window wide open. Reiju was secretly sad but also glad he'd gotten away.

She assumed he'd been inspired by the little boy. That, if that child could stand up to the Vinsmokes, then Sanji could try his best to do something as well. So he ran.

So Reiju stayed with her father, worried about her brothers. But, there was no Luffy when the break happened. Only his friends, who looked sad without their friend there. The boys wanted to hurt Zoro, who had been rude to them, but that wasn't their mission.

When neither Dogtooth or Luffy came, the now triplets were glad. Judge was irritated. "Well see again tomorrow." Reiju looked up at her father in disappointment. This was petty. Sure, no one had ever defeated the kids, and having a six year old do so might be infuriating, but this was just over the top.

She didn't want the boy hurt, for he might beat her remaining brothers badly, or Dogtooth might attack them. She wanted to do something about this herself.

-x-

It was dark out when there was a small knock on the front door. Katakuri frowned, wondering who on earth it would be. None of Luffy's friends would be out this late, and rarely did anyone come to their house. The trail up was long and uphill, and it wasn't as if Katakuri had made friends.

The only one who would ever come was a neighbor named Tashigi would share the uncommon leftover sweets from her daughter coming over. Share them with Luffy, of course, who had quickly captured her heart, regardless of how big or intimidating Katakuri was.

He opened the front door to see the little pink haired girl who was with the Vinsmoke family the other day. Katakuri's expression hardened as he closed the door behind him. The girl was the size of the sole of his shoe. She was clearly intimidated by him, and had no weapons, and was not accompanied by anyone else by Katakuri's haki.

"What do you want?" Katakuri growled. She shook under the weight of his haki, but spoke clearly.

"I just wanted to tell you the little boy is in danger. Father was going to ambush him today after his school session, but he wasn't there. Father wants to stay until my brothers prove they're stronger than your kid," she explained. Katakuri of course looked extremely suspicious.

"And why are you telling me this?" he growled. This might be a decoy. That man, the leader of Germa 66, wanted to target a child just to prove his were stronger? How immature, and pompous. Some leader he was!

"I- I don't think the cute little boy should get hurt by this and I want us to leave already. But I don't want you to kill father. I just don't think it's right for him or his friends to be hurt," the pink haired child explained. About to back away and leave, but Katakuri dropped all of his presence on her and had her on her hands and knees.

"And how do I know you aren't a decoy? Why would you trade in your family to tell me this and risk having me painfully kill your father?" he demanded darkly.

"I-if my brothers fight your kid, they'll die from either you or him. Sanji already ran away, I don't want to lose them, too," she whimpered. He immediately stopped the intimidation, though he still didn't trust her.

He may not kill Vinsmoke, but he had what was coming to him. To attack Luffy was a declaration of war to the former-pirate. "Leave," he growled to the girl, who got up and sprinted away and down the trail.

Katakuri swiftly walked back into the house, locking the massive front door, and went to the transponder snail to call Brulle. Luffy would be safe in the mirror world.

"Hello?" a tired voice asked from the snail. "What's wrong?"

"I need you to come and get Luffy and keep him in the mirror world," Katakuri replied. "There's a problem that needs to be taken care of and I want Luffy completely safe."

Katakuri lifted Luffy's bed easily, and brought it to the massive mirror, where he waited for Brulle to come. She would be there in minutes, but Luffy woke up. "Koori? Is it morning? Do I get to go back to school?" he mumbled in a sleepy voice.

Suddenly, all the anger vanished from the big man. If he killed any of the Vinsmokes, then it would be declaring war officially. Even if he murdered the whole damn family, no doubt their army would attack. The island would be in peril, and even if it did survive, Luffy would be exiled. He'd lose his friends, his school, his _home. _

Katakuri wasn't a pirate anymore. He didn't need to act like one. He wasn't going to risk destroying Luffy's happiness. Or hurting Luffy's beloved friends who might be in the cross hairs. No, there would need to be another solution. It might be embarrassing for Katakuri, but he would do it for Luffy. He'd do anything for Luffy.

"No, not yet. I'm putting you in the mirror world for safety right now. That mean family apparently wants to hurt you, and I won't let them. And don't worry, I won't kill or hurt anyone and risk losing our home. I'll fix it some other way," Katakuri said quietly, to not completely wake Luffy up. "Go back to sleep. You'll be safe."

"O-Okay. Be careful, though," Luffy replied in a tired voice. Katakuri smiled kindly as he put the bed through the mirror and thanked his sister for her help.

"I'll see you sometime tomorrow. Get some sleep, okay?"

* * *

**I wonder what Katakuri is going to do that isn't gonna mess up his and Luffy's lives... hmm... We'll see next chapter. Then, in the last chapter, someone requested to be brought in will appear. And it should be pretty funny. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Shorter chapter. There's one more chapter left after this one, and we get to meet someone I've been looking forward to post about.**

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It was very dark out as Katakuri walked through town. The cricket sounds took over the silence, and the man had his guard up. What he was doing would be embarrassing enough, he didn't want to be caught by surprise by anything. Luffy was safe. He didn't need to worry about that. And he wasn't concerned for his own safety, he just didn't want to be caught by surprise by _anything. _

There was a booth in the middle of town that no one was to use unless there was an absolute emergency. And Katakuri felt this was one. The island was in danger just by Germa 66 being there. The ship was fixed, they could leave. But they hadn't. And if Luffy got hurt, then Katakuri wouldn't hesitate to teach whoever hurt him a lesson.

But that would be the problem, as the island would get caught up in the issue.

He opened the glass booth, that was under a tall flag with a certain jolly roger on it, and picked up the transponder snail, dialing the one that was connected to it.

"Hello, yoi?"

"Marco, this is Dogtooth. We have a problem."

-x-

Luffy wasn't allowed to leave the mirror world until one of the Whitebeard commanders got to the island to try and remedy the problem before the main force would be called to protect their island.

The boy, of course, didn't like this, for he wanted to see the Whitebeards to say hello and show off his improved powers, but Katakuri was able to convince him that his staying away from the island was for the safety of everyone and his friends. He wasn't told the whole story, just that there was a problem that one of the pirates had to come fix.

When Katakuri had explained the situation to the first mate of the Yonko's crew, he had been almost ashamed to ask for help, but Marco was grateful he called and didn't retaliate in a way that could put others at harm.

Though the Germa kingdom was powerful, the might of the Yonko's crew and his allied crews would easily subdue the force. Whitebeard wasn't above killing the Vinsmoke leader if it were to protect one of the islands he was responsible for protecting. He would live up to his word, and Katakuri and his boy lived on the island, and were therefore under the Yonko's protection.

Marco and the others were actually quite impressed with the ex-pirate and his pride. He'd backed down from a fight to protect his son's happiness. And, he'd saved the island most likely. It was a small and weak island with no army, so the Germa 66 could probably wipe them out by sheer number, despite the fact that the over a billion beri bounty, ex-pirate was there to fight back.

Marco set out for the island that night, wanting to get there as fast as possible. Katakuri had told them that if Luffy were harmed, he wouldn't hold back his attack on the Vinsmokes. But he didn't wish it to come to that and wanted the issue resolved as peacefully as possible.

Luckily, the Yonko's ship wasn't too far from the island and if needed would come directly there to eliminate the threat. Katakuri hadn't spoken to Whitebeard, but the captain had been quite surprised and impressed by Katakuri's resolve. It wasn't just any man who could put aside their pride and ask for help in this type of situation.

So Katakuri and Luffy both stayed in the mirror world, so neither had a chance to encounter the problem. Luffy wouldn't be in danger of them and Katakuri wouldn't be in danger of lashing out if any serious and plausible threat was made.

Luffy was kept hidden from everyone and even his friends didn't know what was going on. So they were frustratingly kept in the dark about why Luffy wasn't coming to school. The only thing that kept Luffy from throwing a tantrum about wanting out was that he was brought on walks to look at all the mirrors. It was distracting and interesting to snoop on others' homes without them knowing. And it was the only time Katakuri had allowed it, so Luffy gladly accepted the distraction.

And he was feeling better and wasn't sleeping all day to pass the time.

-x-

To say Judge was upset was an understatement. He wasn't just upset, he was angry and defiant about leaving when Marco demanded he did so. Marco didn't exactly feel like arguing with someone like this, someone so over the top arrogant and entitled. So, the moment Judge said, "Why should I leave?!" Marco pulled out the mini transponder snail and called Whitebeard.

"Hey, Pops. Looks like Vinsmoke doesn't want to leave. When can you arrive here, yoi?" he asked casually, giving Judge the bored look, though he was visibly irritated as well.

"We can be there in a couple days. Not too far from the island, thankfully. Oi, Vinsmoke? You really want to challenge the Whitebeard pirates and our affiliated allies? This isn't the north blue, kid. You're not taking over any islands in the New World. And especially not one of ours. Gurararara!" the man laughed in his deep voice.

The children were there, as well, and actually pleaded with their father to leave. Judge actually hit the ones that did, and accused them of being weak like Sanji was. But, they would leave without the useless kid.

But who had told Dogtooth about the planned ambush on the kid? Surely none of the children would have. None of them had left the ship without Judge knowing. Maybe someone on the crew did it. There would be a major interrogation.

"So, you still want to stick around, Vinsmoke?" Marco asked, the transponder snail still connected.

"Fine," he snarled. The supposedly "super human" children all sighed. This island had been horrible! Not only did they lose to a child, but their father was using them as a threat against _DOGTOOTH, _and then challenged a _YONKO_?! And they'd lost Sanji, their source of fun to beat up. What next?! They just wanted to leave as soon as possible. It was humiliating to say the least.

But they'd learn from this experience, and try to learn to be unafraid of bigwigs, and be more wary of when their father pit them against someone. They were glad it wasn't Dogtooth that fought back, and that he had called Whitebeard.

The ex-pirate would have no doubt killed the children if they'd succeeded in defeating his little boy. Maybe someday, when they were all older, they'd fight Luffy again and win. They, especially the three boys, wanted to just forget all about this island and go on their way.

It went smoothly after that, with a plain, "We'll know if you come back. I'd advise against it, yoi," coming from Marco. Judge snarled but didn't reply.

Knowing of Charlotte Brulle's devil fruit, Marco walked to her home and knocked on the front door. It was a little and cozy cabin, nothing like the massive home belonging to Katakuri and his child. There was a bit of a wait before the front door opened, revealing the unsettling looking woman. But they'd met before.

"The problem is gone. Dogtooth and Luffy can come out now, yoi," he said. Brulle smiled and hurried inside to go and get Luffy from the mirror world before going to Katakuri's house so he could fit out of that mirror. He couldn't fit through the one in Brulle's home.

"Marco!" Luffy called, running outside and hugging Marco around the legs.

"Hey, Luffy," Marco said in a bored but kind voice. "The bad guys left, so you can come out and go back to your friends, now."

"Yay! Guess what? Wanna see something!? I can make this big lighting strike! Wanna see?" the boy asked excitedly as he bounced on his toes.

"Sure." Luffy told him they had to go to their training grounds, where Luffy insisted on having Marco fly him there. Since the Whitebeards couldn't help but be fond of the boy that tamed a monster, Marco flew him there, with Luffy squealing and screaming about flying in the air.

"Kay, you gotta step back though. It's dangerous," Luffy warned him seriously, not really registering that it wouldn't harm Marco at all. But he stepped back as Katakuri headed out of their house and walked to the training area. He smiled behind his scarf as Luffy grinned at the Whitebeard commander.

Luffy scrunched his eyes and the huge bolt of lightning struck the ground right through his little body. Katakuri looked to Marco and bit back a laugh as his dumbfounded face. Rarely had anyone besides his brothers seen him with an expression other than boredness. Luffy broke into giggles at the expression, pointing his finger at the man.

Marco caught himself and gave Luffy a smile. "That's very impressive, Luffy. Imagine how powerful you'll get when you're older."

"I'm gonna use my powers when I'm Pirate King! So I gotta be strong, right?" Luffy asked as he stood in front of Marco, trying to flatten his frazzled hair.

"Well, you're right about that. Any pirate must be strong. Especially the Pirate King. You'll show the whole world your strength, yoi," Marco said as he walked back to town with Luffy, Katakuri following behind them.

He was glad the threat was gone. He knew Whitebeard was a man of his word and would come back, with the whole crew, immediately if Germa 66 came to this island. And he probably was now making sure any of his protected islands would tell them if any Vinsmokes landed on their islands.

The man hadn't known they were in the New World, but he was right when he told Judge that no one would be taking over islands in this sea. His opinion of the man had dropped drastically at this situation.

He only knew what Katakuri had told them, which was that Luffy beat them in a fight and now they were targeting the boy. The Yonko crew had actually laughed when they heard that little Luffy had defeated genetically modified super-children. They really did see him achieving his dream if he was like this at six years old.

Luffy seemed to catch the heart of anyone he meets (well, good people).

"Shanks will see me, too! I told him I'd be Pirate King someday, even if I lost the hat," Luffy said confidently.

"Akagami?" Marco asked in surprise. Luffy nodded, telling Marco all about him and Shanks before Luffy was taken as a slave. The boy wasn't embarrassed to talk about that. "I got my devil fruit from him!"

"Have you seen him since you were freed?" Marco asked as the three walked. When Luffy shook his head, Marco actually grinned. Something _very rare. _He was imagining the look Shanks would give when he learned _who _bought Luffy and their relationship now.

"What are you smiling for, Marco?" Luffy wondered, tilting his head. Marco seemed to realize he was grinning and brought the relaxed face back.

"Would you like to see him again?"

"YEAH!"

"I can make that happen." Luffy gasped and gave a huge smile. He would see Shanks again?!

* * *

**Katakuri put aside his pride to solve a problem without violence. What a good dad. We finally get to see Shanks's reaction to who "adopted" Luffy. How will he react? Oh, and Ace is very briefly featured in the next chapter. A VERY small cameo. Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**myzmsandraa99: Ace isn't Luffy's brother. He's one of the commanders, but has met Luffy before in the previous story. I just didn't write that scene, but mentioned it.**

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**Here is the last chapter. I have no doubt this won't be the last child Luffy and Katakuri story. Enjoy~**

* * *

"So you didn't get to defeat them?" Zoro asked in a bummed voice when Luffy told him that Whitebeard scared them off.

"No. 'Cause they were gonna get me at school I guess, but then I got sick. So Koori called Whitebeard instead of fighting himself so we didn't get kicked off the island," Luffy explained as he played with him and their friends at play time.

"That's good. I would be really upset if you left," Usopp replied. "We'd all miss you." Nami nodded her head, which Zoro gave a small smile. Luffy grinned at them.

"I would miss everyone, too. I was absent, so I didn't even get to convince you to become pirates with me!" The others groaned, but listened to his long list of reasons, including, "It would be fun" and "it would be _really_ fun".

"Ok, Luffy. I'm going to say 'maybe', as of now. _Maybe _I would become a pirate with you. How about we all say maybe, and leave it at that for awhile?" Nami offered. Usopp and Zoro agreed, which made Luffy happy. There was a chance they'd be pirates with him, and that was good enough.

For now.

"I'm so excited to see Shanks again! I think he'll be surprised that I'm with Koori. Marco said so. Maybe because Koori is so big it might be a surprise," Luffy guessed.

"Hmm… maybe it's because your dad used to be a Big Mom pirate. I was really surprised when you two started living here, too," Usopp said. Luffy agreed with that. It must be surprising to many that tiny Luffy is with Katakuri, who gave up pirating for him. It made Luffy grin.

"I have a good daddy," he declared. "I can't wait for him to meet Shanks."

-x-

When Marco had reached the Moby Dick again, he'd told everyone Judge's reaction, and how his kids reacted. It had many burst into laughter. Apparently, his face grew bright red as his kids begged for them to leave.

"I kind of feel bad for them. Sure, they tried to hurt Lu, but still. Being intimidated by not only Dogtooth, but Pops too?" Ace laughed.

"Yeah, and they lost to tiny Luffy. Dogtooth gave in more detail about how pitiful the fight had been. The finishing move was Luffy sticking his leg out in front of them and them falling face first into the sand pit," Marco chuckled. "Man, they looked like they'd grow up to be assholes." He took a swig of his drink. "So. Who wants to call Akagami now?"

-x-

"_ACHOR'S ALIVE?!"_ Shanks shouted over the transponder snail.

"Yeah, Luffy is alive and living on one of our protected islands," Ace said, a wicked grin on his face. "He was bought by someone who is now his father. They're real cute together. You'll never believe who it is."

"_What island? Who?" _

"Now, now, that would ruin the surprise! We'll give you the direction of the island, but we're not gonna tell you who it is. You just gotta make sure not to try and attack him," Ace teased.

"_What do you mean? Who is it?!" _Shanks asked angrily. He growled when there was just laughter on Whitebeard's end. Who could it possibly be that had them all acting like this? Why didn't Luffy want to go back to his home island? Did he not remember the name of it? "_Why isn't he back on Dawn Island?" _

"Dunno. Probably because of who bought him. Well, they like to call it 'adopt' now."

Shanks growled at the transponder snail. Fine, he'd find out himself! What were they being so cryptic about?! Who could it possibly be to warrant this reaction from them?

-x-

Two weeks later, the Red Haired pirates' ship docked at the small port on one of Whitebeard's smallest protected islands. It was very small with a mountain in the middle and with only two towns, one on each side. Luffy supposedly lived in a big house up a trail and into the forest.

It was bothering him about who had bought the boy. Why were the Whitebeard's laughing at him about it? Who could it possibly be that would make them react like that? But, he got to see Luffy again! He wondered how he was. Was he still himself, or had he been broken while he was a slave? Had he mastered his fruit at all?

He and Beckman were the ones to go to the house, Beckman worried about how Shanks would react to whoever had bought the boy. He was told not to attack him, so was this person an enemy?

They followed the directions given to them and walked through the sleepy town and to the back, where a trail opened up. It went through the woods quite a way, and both pirates walked up it anxiously. Also excitedly. Everyone had been devastated when Luffy had been kidnapped and become a slave to nobles.

But at least someone saved him. But, again, _who was it? _

Well, whoever it was was very massive, as the front door to the big house was huge. Who was this big? Shanks shared an anxious look with Beckman, but knocked on the front door. They waited with bated breath as the door unlocked and opened.

_Charlotte Dogtooth Katakuri. _

Shanks mouth dropped, and Beckman was speechless. Katakuri glowered at them. They better not make a fuss. "Luffy, Shanks is here!" the man called into the house.

"Really?!" a young voice shouted as Luffy sped through the house at full speed and plowed into Shanks. "_Shanks!" _

Shanks was still in shock as he looked down to see a perfectly healthy Luffy. He was years older than the last time he met the boy, as a three year old, but nothing seemed wrong. His clothes were clean, he was clean, wasn't malnourished and was _happy. _

"Shanks, I missed you! Koori adopted me! We left the Big Mom family and now we live here! Wanna see inside? We built this place ourselves! Isn't it big?!" Luffy cheered, tripping over his words.

"K-Koori?" Beckman stuttered. Luffy blinked at him. "Yeah," he said, and pointed up at the man, who looked uncomfortable.

"Dogtooth, why did you buy Luffy?" Shanks asked ina protective voice, like Katakuri had done something wrong. The men glowered at each other, but Luffy spoke before the father could reply.

"Adopted!" Luffy corrected. "Koori was never a master." Katakuri didn't reply now, though he had a bead of sweat dripping down his face. He was becoming something he hadn't in awhile; embarrassed.

"And he takes good care of you, though?" Beckman asked, much less suspicious sounding than his captain had. Shanks was still shocked and wearing the accusing stare.

"_Yes_. Luffy is my son, so of course I take good care of him," Katakuri snapped. He wasn't appreciating the way Shanks and his first mate were acting. Luffy was clearly happy and healthy, what more did they want? "Are you coming inside, or not?"

"Yeah, Shanks, I wanna show you my room!" Luffy said and dragged the man inside. Katakuri seemed very uncomfortable with this, but Luffy was so happy so he wasn't going to spoil it, even if he didn't want Shanks inside. "And then I'll show you how much I can do with my powers. Koori has been teaching me how, so I can be a good Pirate King," Luffy said as he lead Shanks through the large house and to his own bedroom.

"You two built this place on your own?" Shanks asked, impressed, trying to not be rude anymore. He had just been so surprised that someone like Dogtooth would "adopt" little Luffy.

Luffy cheerfully said yes. "It's -um- good work. Everything is big. Is that not hard for you, Anchor?" Shanks wondered. Katakuri walked behind him, and it made Shanks a bit uncomfortable. But he felt he had been rude before. No wonder Ace and Marco thought it would be funny to make it a surprise.

But, if those two didn't object to Dogtooth being Luffy's "father", then there was absolutely nothing Shanks should object to.

"Everything is big, but that's fine. I just have stairs to my chair at the table, but my room is the right sizes," Luffy explained and showed his old friend to his room. It was a cozy place, the smallest room they'd seen so far, though the ceiling and door were still tall so Katakuri could fit in. He had lots of books and picture books on the shelf, along with some toys, many made out of hardened mochi, and some clothes strewn about.

He also had a dinosaur backpack and some papers out. "Do you go to school, Luffy?" Shanks asked curiously.

"Yeah! I have three best friends and I'm gonna have them be pirates with me when we get older," Luffy replied with a grin. "And guess what happened a bit ago? Bad people were after me after we got in a battle and I won and then Whitebeard saved us. We hid in the mirror world until the bad people left."

"Huh?" Shanks asked, not understanding any of that. So Katakuri spoke up and explained it for the boy.

"The Vinsmoke family came. Germa 66 docked their ship here to get it fixed, and became fixated on Luffy since he's my son. The brats attacked Luffy, but he beat them, so Judge wouldn't leave until he proved his 'sons' were stronger. Of course, I didn't let them anywhere near Luffy, and ended up calling Whitebeard to get rid of them. I didn't retaliate myself because we like it here and I didnt want to be responsible for us having to move away. It's nice here and Luffy has dear friends. And the mirror world is a devil fruit my sister has."

"I see." Shanks looked at Katakuri calculatingly. "You don't seem like a bad guy Dogtooth. Thank you for taking care of Luffy. We were all very upset when we found out what had happened. I had heard you defected. Never would have thought it would be for something like this." Katakuri didn't respond.

"Yeah, Koori is great! Do you wanna see my powers?" Luffy asked in a giddy voice.

"Sure, I'd love to," he said and ruffled the boy's hair.

"Luffy told me you're the one responsible for feeding him the devil fruit?" Katakuri asked in his deep voice.

Shanks coughed awkwardly. That had been a real blunder at the time. "Well, I didn't exactly feed it to him. He was on the floor of the local tavern, playing with his toys. He managed to knock the chest off the bar counter and _broke it open with a block._ Then he ate almost the entire thing in one sitting. I don't see how, since the devil fruits are said to taste awful and he was a three year old," Shanks finished with a laugh.

"Well, it was a good thing that he ate it. As a slave he was never able to get injured since it's a logia fruit. Luffy, why don't you show him everything and then leave the greatest for last?" Katakuri asked in a kind voice.

"Yeah!"

Luffy lead Shanks and his first mate to the big backyard, which had more toys and a jungle gym on it. Then there was a trail to a huge blank space, that had a sign that read "_Luffy's Training Grounds". _Shanks noticed there were scorch marks littering the ground of the empty space.

"Okay, I'll start with this," Luffy said and zipped around the area at lightspeed. Shanks could only keep up with his observation haki as Luffy moved from place to place. "See how fast I am? I learned that first and by accident. Then I kept running into things! And this is next," he said and picked up a rock, holding it until it was red with heat in his hands. "And then _this! _The big finally!"

The boy made sure to be a good distance away and then closed his eyes. Suddenly a huge _crack! _filled the air as a huge, hot, and bright lightning bolt appeared and stuck Luffy. Shanks and Beckman were speechless. Luffy zipped back to them.

"See! Isn't that amazing?" Luffy gushed. "It was after the fight, cause I thought about how I had to protect my friends from bad guys." Shanks reached down and picked Luffy up, thrusting him into the air from under his armpits.

"That was impressive, anchor!"

Beckman turned to Katakuri. "What was the 'fight' with the Vinsmoke kids like?" he asked curiously. Katakuri explained the little tiff, which had Luffy giggle at how easy it had been.

"You mean, Luffy _tripped_ them? Aren't they genetically modified?" Beckman asked in surprise.

"Yes, but they werent the most graceful fighters. It was embarrassing for them," the ex-pirate replied. He smiled at Luffy's giggling again. "Luffy, do you want to go to town and spend some time with Shanks?" Katakuri asked. Luffy jumped up and down and loudly agreed.

"I'll show you my favorite park, and school, too," Luffy gushed. "Let's go, let's go!"

Shanks looked at Katakuri in a strange way. He really did care about Luffy. Oh, he wanted the story from the beginning. Luffy would no doubt tell him if he asked. He decided he would. "Alright, Anchor. Show me everywhere," he said, ruffling Luffy's hair. You would never guess Luffy had ever been a slave. He was still that bubbling boy he was last time he saw him, even though he'd been a toddler then. Makino would be so happy to know Luffy was safe and sound, living a nice life.

"Thank you, Dogtooth," Shanks said as he let Luffy lead him down the path and back into the little town.

-x-

Shanks smiled fondly at Luffy as he told the man all about his best friends and his class. How the class finished working on the ABC's. How Luffy had gotten the hang of them and felt smart. He told him all about the first time he ever went trick or treating with Koori, the name he called Dogtooth, and how much candy he'd gotten that night. But Koori had made him ration it, like he did back in Totto Land.

"Luffy, what is your story? After Koori adopted you, what happened? How did you two end up here?" Shanks asked, painfully curious. So Luffy told him the whole story, though it was jumbled and not in very good chronological order.

Shanks had been amazed that Big Mom hadn't scared five year old Luffy. He was told all about

Pudding and her yummy desserts. The land made all of candy. How many aunts and uncles he'd had. Then, the story of why Katakuri left with Luffy and his sister. It was because Big Mom was threatening Luffy's life.

Luffy told him the exact words that Katakrui had said on the last phone call he had with his former mother. How they had built the house here, and how they lived a normal life, and that Katakuri said he enjoyed this life much more than his forty seven years as a pirate.

The whole story had Shanks smiling widely. He couldn't have asked for anything better for Luffy than having a loving parent, once a terrifying pirate or not. After Luffy had shown Shanks around the village, the man said he needed to give something to Luffy.

"Ooh, is it food?" Luffy asked excitedly as they walked to Shanks's ship. Beckman had returned there after leaving the big house.

Shanks grinned at him. "Something even better!" Luffy's eyes widened. What was better than food? He excitedly followed Shanks onto the ship. He hoped Dogtooth wouldn't become suspicious of him leading Luffy onto the ship. He didn't know Beckman had told Katakuri about what Shanks was about to do.

Luffy walked into the big ship, looking in every room and saying hello to all of the pirates, even the ones he didn't remember. Everyone was ecstatic about seeing Luffy again, free, happy and healthy.

They were also shocked about who had "adopted" Luffy and was raising him. It was unexpected, and they had all heard about Katakuri going AWOL over a year ago. It had gotten out by some journalist who was residing in Totto Land at the time. He hadn't learned about _why _the sweet commander left, just that he did and that the yonko was pissed about it, and had gone on a rampage and destroyed almost an entire island.

"Alright, close your eyes, Luffy," Shanks said when they reached his room. Luffy put his hands over his eyes, and heard the rustle of something being picked up. Then, something was gently set on his head. "Okay, open them." Luffy reached up to what was put on his head, and burst into tears.

It was the straw hat he'd lost all those years ago. "I still believe you'll make a great pirate, and become the King." Shanks crouched down and hugged Luffy tightly.

-x-

After that, Luffy wore the straw hat everywhere he went, and became furious when anyone touched it. He even got mad at Nami for touching it without permission. It was his treasure. No one could mess with it.

Katakuri hadn't been surprised one bit that Luffy became so obsessive over it. After all, it had been very important to him and had upset him greatly when it was left behind when he was taken as a slave. And now he got it back. His precious promise from long ago was still in effect.

One day, when he, his friends, and Koori were all at their home, playing inside as it was raining, Luffy suddenly gasped. Everyone looked to him in surprise. "I've decided! My pirate crew's name will be 'The Straw Hat Pirates'!"

The End~

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**I hope you liked the story! **


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